CORRUPTION NEWS

Corruption helps fuel illegal gold trade

This article, first published on Bloomberg and written by journalist Kevin Crowley, investigates the illegal mining trade which is prevalent in South Africa. Corruption, and the poverty that's often a driver of corruption, plays a significant role in the continuation of this illicit industrial activity, and it involves the miners themselves, employees of active mines, metal Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

What is the Seriti Commission?

​The first phase of the two-man Arms Procurement Commission, or the Seriti Commission, started on 20 January and was meant to wrap up in May with the testimony of  former president Thabo Mbeki, but his appearance was postponed because of his mother’s death. Phase two of the commission started on 21 July. The commission is investigating Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Dropped charges confirm Guptagate scapegoating

The South African National Defence Force’s recent withdrawing of charges against the two officers that it implicated in the investigation into the Gupta aircraft that landed at Waterkloof Air Force base in 2013 confirms that they were chosen as scapegoats, and that the charges were designed to deflect attention from President Zuma’s role in securing Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Who’s who in the arms deal?

Many of the players in the arms deal are still in the public eye. A few have died – Sicgau, Modise, Moloi – and others have been fired, resigned or come to the end of their terms of office and gone on to forge new careers for themselves. Only South Africans are included in this Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

ConCourt rules for DA in Nkandla SMS saga

The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the DA in the matter of a contentious SMS – in which it said that President Jacob Zuma stole taxpayers’ money to refurbish his Nkandla home – sent to Gauteng voters just before national elections in May last year. The SMS reads: “The Nkandla report shows how Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

What can you get for R70-billion?

The total amount of public money involved was US$4.8-billion, or R30-billion at the exchange rate of the day. However, this figure does not take into account the costs of financing the deal, which, when added in, bring the total to around R70-billion. The acquisitions were meant to modernise the South African National Defence Force’s existing Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

No more secret party funding, says MVC

My Vote Counts (MVC) is an organisation campaigning to improve the accountability, transparency and inclusiveness of elections and politics in South Africa, so that all of its citizens will have a stronger voice. MVC is advocating for two key changes for accountability and openness:   *  For the South African electoral system to be changed so Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Hawks saga – feathers continue to fly

Suspensions; notices of suspension; court battles; and speculation over political interference. These are some of the scenarios that have preoccupied the leadership of the priority crime fighting unit, the Hawks, over the past few weeks. Political and social analysts are even more fascinated – they're crying foul over what they perceive as a strategic purge Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

CW reporter profile relatively unchanged

Towards the end of 2014 Corruption Watch (CW) conducted a survey of its reporters, as it has done in 2012 and 2013 too. The study was commissioned to assess reporters’ understanding of CW’s work, the overall success of CW’s campaigns in South Africa, and reporters’ experiences in reporting an incident. The aim of these CW Read more >